Wendy Tyson

I like this series (all two of them so far). It's cozy, but not insipid; the setting is interesting (if you like gardening/farming) without being a preachy sledgehammer. The romance incidental...but could be a bit better. There's discreet and then there's 'wait...did they or didn't they?'.

The town of Winsome is holding its first Octoberfest and Megan starts to question when the committee starts doing things contrary to the rules they themselves setup. A dead body ups the ante.

The characters and setting are really well written and so is the mystery plot. Complex, lots of clues that don't seem to connect to anything at all and an interesting sub-plot running along in the background.

It seems Tyson also writes thrillers and there's a hint of that vibe running through the story, giving it that slight edginess over most cozies. I'm definitely on board for the next one.… (mehr)

I like this series. It's cozy but it's not silly or shallow. The characters are all likeable and realistic, the MC isn't TSTL, and the author doesn't fool with silly love triangles or an evil nemesis. The mysteries are usually well-plotted too, although this one was not Tyson's best effort; the murderer was so obvious I was getting exasperated. She makes up for it in diabolical-ness though, and I loved the part Becca's aunt plays in the mystery.

This was a Christmastime book I almost missed in my TBR pile, although there's not a heap of Christmas spirit. It is set in the midst of a very, very snowy winter though so it makes it perfect for my Winter Solstice/Yuletide square.

Book themes for Yuletide: Read a book set in the midst of a snowy or icy winter.… (mehr)

Megan Sawyer is an ex-attorney who left her practice and moved to Winsome, Pennsylvania, to help her grandmother run her family's farm, Washington Acres. She's since then expanded her organic business and is renovating the home next door to become an inn for her farm.

While purchasing potting soil for her grandmother Bibi, she overhears a conversation between three women, one of them crying uncontrollably. It appears they're going to the funeral of David von Tressler, who built a monstrous home nearby; since he and his wife pretty much kept away from the locals, Megan has no plans to attend. But when the women get a flat tire and she's asked to take the youngest of the three, Claire, who was also the crying one, to the funeral, she agrees. After dropping her off at the door, Megan thinks that will be the last of it.

But when Claire never arrived at the funeral, Megan is accused of having something to do with her disappearance. Then, when another sister is murdered and found at the home she's renovating, Megan's right in the middle of a murder investigation. Now, to clear her name, she needs to find the missing woman and find answers as to why the murdered one was left at her farm. But in doing so, Megan might just be the next victim...

I have read the previous books in this series, and have never been disappointed in any of them. This one is no less intriguing than the others. Megan, who is just trying to make a life for herself and Bibi, is finding it harder to do when they're interrupted with a murder victim being found next door. The situation escalates when Megan learns that there's something else afoot, and it also has to do with her, although she has no idea what. Knowing this, it neither arms nor comforts her as she tries to put the pieces together.

There's also the fact that Megan is struggling with her feelings for Denver and being worried about her aging grandmother's health. While she's struggling with these two things as well, she needs to put them aside while she tries to figure out the problems with the death of the woman and the von Tresslers, who are giving no help at all.

Megan, while being warned to stay out of the investigation, knows she can't do that, so starts asking questions on her own. I love the fact that she doesn't go about accusing people of murder, instead gathering information, sharing those facts with police chief Bobby King, and trying to make sense of everything.

What ensues is a convoluted tale of murder, greed, lies, and revenge. It is done masterfully, with Ms. Tyson taking each thread and pulling them slowly together to reveal the tightly woven end result that gives us an ending no one could have seen coming. Finding the killer was both unanticipated and captivating in the fact that it was surprising in itself. While I had my suspicions, I was gratified to see that I was at least partly right.

It also gives us something to look forward to in the next book (which wouldn't have mattered to me anyway since this is one of my favorite series and I have no intention of deserting it), and the fact that this book was so riveting is testament to the fact that Ms. Tyson is one of the most talented writers out there. I eagerly await the next in the series. Highly recommended.… (mehr)

really enjoyed this mystery. I received this for free and I voluntarily chose to review it. I've given it a 5* rating. This is the 3rd in the Greenhouse Mysteries Series. These seem to get better as I go along or it's just that I'm getting into the characters more. These could be read alone but I think you would enjoy them more if you read them in order. This was another hard to put down story. I read late into the next morning on this. It pulled me into the story fast. A lot of action in this one, coated with a lot of snow as you get closer to the holidays. It was well worth the read. (less)… (mehr)